In the letter Lapsley discusses the availability of iron for work on the Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad ("I apprehend some difficulty now in procuring iron to complete the road"), and he mentions specimens of iron that are being sent to...

In the letter he discusses the death of his grandson, Edward (Elizabeth's nephew); the effects of winter weather in the area ("We hear almost daily of broaken [sic] hips - legs - & arms occasioned by falls on the ice"); clothes that he needs; and...